


Standing in the Past

by Pey119



Series: STS [9]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Complete, F/M, Ghost Nico di Angelo, M/M, Married Couple, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 20:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19258624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pey119/pseuds/Pey119
Summary: Sequel to Standing in the Dust





	1. Chapter 1

Jason grew up in a home destined for failure. His mother wasn't a mother, his father went to the store and never came back. If he had been raised by wolves, he would have turned out better.

He shared a room with his sister, a small closet that had originally been intended as a walk-in to the only bedroom there was. They shared a bed of blankets, some pillows in their luckier years. Their mother locked them in after nine.

Did he despise her for it? He never could. It wasn't her fault she had to go through what she did, it wasn't her fault for being sick of it. The alcohol was her only way to cope.

Coping. How did she expect her kids to cope?

Thalia put her own feelings aside to help Jason through his. She helped him with the bullies, helped him when he couldn't fit in their "bed" anymore. She helped him through the times their mother would be classified as crazy.

Did he thank her for it? Of course. Did he feel guilty? More than ever. Did he hate his mother for putting them in the situation? Never.

But he did hate his father. He was going to get milk, was running to the store. They hadn't noticed all of his things were gone until he was just as far.


	2. Chapter 2

Jason was six when he saw his mother interact with a ghost for the first time. He was sitting in the living room with a bowl of dry cereal in front o him, his eyes on the old radio as he tried to listen in to the crackling broadcast. TV's were too expensive for a single mom without a real job.

"I can't do that!" his mother's voice was constantly screaming or sobbing. He tried to ignore it as the baseball game continued on. "I can't fly across the country! I can't!"

"Mom!" Thalia grabbed her mother's hand, the frail woman having been screaming at the wall. "Come sit down."

"No!" Beryl yanked her hand back from her daughter. "You don't understand. You won't ever understand..."

"You're talking to a dead person, right?" Thalia asked, causing Jason's head to turn to the two. "They can talk to you and you can see them."

Beryl looked down at her daughter as she pressed a hand to her chest, her heartbeat thumping against her pale fingers. "Thalia... You're too young for this...you shouldn't know... Go lay down with Jason."

Jason saw Thalia pester her, he saw his mother smack her. He let himself be carried to his bed and laid down despite the time of day.

Maybe that was why he was labeled a troubled child.


	3. Chapter 3

Reyna. Jason heard her name more than anything else as he grew up. Reyna said this, she wanted his mother to do that. Jason didn't think she was so good until that one night, until that one Christmas Eve.

For the holiday, he and Thalia got to sleep in the living room in hopes to prove their mother wrong about her theories of Santa Claus. They had just been ready to fall asleep when their mother came in, her hair a mess and her eyes worried. "Kids, come on. Back to your room."

"But mom!" Jason's small body immediately jumped up to protest. "But Santa-"

"Reyna said you have to." Beryl grabbed his hand. "Come on, now. Get your blankets. Thalia, come on."

"Mom-!"

"Jason!" she dragged him back to her room and then the closet. "No more! Go get to sleep. Thalia!"

"Coming!" Thalia ran up to them with her arms full of blankets. "I'm here!"

Before Jason could blink, he was shoved into that closet with his sister.

He would have been angry, and even as a young boy he was. His Christmas, as little as it was, had been ruined for him. But as he grew older he realized why the night had gone as it had.

Because where he had been laying, if Reyna hadn't told their mother to move them, a bullet landed after it shattered the living room windows.


	4. Chapter 4

Jason grew up from then on. He saw the way Reyna helped them, saw his mother stabilize at her instructions. By the time he turned fifteen, they had gotten a decent apartment and he became happy. No more hitting, no more fights. His mother had begun to smile.

Did he hate the universe for giving that to his mother? Did he hate whatever god was up there? No, he couldn't. Not after everything he had seen. His mother's ability saved them that one night, had brought them back together as a family. Even though there were some bad times, it was okay at the end.

And at the end, it set him up for what he needed in life. It made him who he was. He turned out to be the man Piper loved, turned out to be a good father. A good son and a good brother.

And that was all that mattered to him. So he thanked that god for the supernatural, thanked that god for his mother's gift.


End file.
